The Joy of Homemaking

Salmon Salad Spread

Jenni — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:34:47 +0000

The other night I made Batter Fried Fish with some salmon that I bought from Costco. I knew that i would have too much for our family to eat if I made it all up. I didn’t want the salmon to go to waste, I love my chickens but I don’t want to feed them expensive salmon! So I froze about half of the salmon to use later. Tonight I tried a new, to me, recipe.Knowing that this recipe was a little bit out there for the kids, at least the boys, I decided it would be easy to make them something similar, in order to let us try something a little different without having to fight with them about trying something new. If you know me, you know that I am NOT a short order cook, but I know my kids limitations, and I know when I’m feeling up to pushing them to try a new dish :) I decided tonight was not the night for that!

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Meal planning and shopping lists made simple

Christian — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:05:09 +0000

The Husband here with a guest post.

For over a year I have wanted someone to build an online meal planning site that you could plan meals and the ingredients would end up on a shopping list that you could take to the store and plan what is supposed to be on your shelf.

Well I am happy to say that someone finally did it, Its called Tasty Planner and its free.

In their words,

Tasty Planner is here to help you create, plan and share recipes, menus, grocery lists and more. We take out all the hassle in planning great meals for you. We’ll also help you make a few chef friends along the way.

I would suggest taking a look at their features and see if this is something that could help out your family.

Flower and Car Birthday Cupcakes

Jenni — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:54:48 +0000

This past March we had 4 birthdays to celebrate, three of our kids and one nephew, so we had one big birthday bash and I decided that cupcakes were in order!

For the girls, I had purchased a flower shaped cupcake pan. I decorated them with pink frosting and very girlie sprinkles and then wrote out their names, one letter on each cupcake, on top of the cupcakes. I had them displayed on a pretty plate and the girls, and boys loved them! Very simple and of course it will be fun to reuse the cupcake pan some day.

For the boys, I chose blue frosting to hold on the decorative candies. And the cupcake pan? Was a birthday present from my mother in law, I love it! I’ve also used it for muffins and corn bread and it works really well. The decorating was easy, just time consuming but those sweet boys in my life, they are worth it! I have not done many cupcakes so I thought this would be fun for a change, the kids seemed to really enjoy all the sweets! And I guess I just love seeing the looks on their faces when they see my birthday creations, maybe that is what spurs me on to be more creative.

Thoughts on Homemaking - The Wife Sets the Tone

Jenni — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:57:06 +0000

These thoughts have been rolling around in my heart and mind for the past few weeks. Thoughts on wives, and how we set the tone in our homes. At the table when we sit down to sup with our families, during the day while we play and work with our children, and when our husbands come home from their day at work, our attitude really affects the mood of all present in our home.

Proverbs 19:13b “…And the contentions of a wife are a constant dripping.”

Picture this: You’ve been dealing with little Johnny’s whining all day, and it’s starting to wear on you (of course to make you feel worse, later you discover that he’s teething and you didn’t know it but had been irritated at him all day long!). It’s almost time for your husband to come home and you are trying to be the “good” wife and have dinner ready by the time he gets home. But while you are flipping burgers you splatter grease all over one of your nicest T-shirts and burn your hand, bad timing. (more…)

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

Jenni — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:15:57 +0000

‘Tis the season for making zucchini bread! Our neighbors gave us a nice sized zucchini and we made fried zucchini the other night with some left over batter for our fish. The remainder, I shredded for zucchini bread. I got this recipe from All Recipes and changed a few things. I used only whole wheat flour where they called for part whole wheat and part white. I used olive oil where they called for canola oil, and I used pecans instead of walnuts and added a cup of chocolate chips, yum! We were all very impressed with how this bread turned out, even Aidan who had decided before it even went into the oven, that he didn’t think he would like this bread because it had zucchini in it :) Well, he changed his mind real quick when it came out and smelled so good, and chocolate chips always help!

Note: This recipe makes a triple batch.

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Summer’s Over-Already?!

Jenni — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:40:34 +0000

Hey wait a minute, I thought summer was just getting going? Don’t we still have another month or two? It’s September I know, but my garden is still wanting more sun. Last week we had a LOT of rain and wind and colder weather and I went out the other day to check on my garden (between the heavy rains) and was sad to see that my one tomato plant that was in full bloom and bearing a lot of fruit, was completely dead. It’s still got a little bit of fruit that I can pick this weekend but that will be it. So sad, but I got my money’s worth for sure, and was able to bless a few families with the fruit as well.

Here are my pumpkins, I’m hoping that we get a little more sun to make sure they can mature and ripen. They are so pretty even if they don’t ripen :) There are rumors that we will have an Indian Summer but after these two weeks of tons of rain, I will believe it when I see it!

And we have tons of corn! I don’t know if they will continue to ripen if we don’t get more sunshine, I will have to see. It’s been a hard year for a successful garden, a late start and an early end. But it’s been a learning experience and I will definitely do it again next year with a year of successful gardening under my belt.

So let the fall come, I actually really look forward to the fall season it means that our baby is coming soon. I especially love apple season, I will forever have the emotionally charged memory of the smell of cooking apple butter filling the house connected with the labor and birth of our sweet Eamon. Who knows, maybe the week I’m expecting this new one I will get up the energy to make a bunch of applesauce. I also love all the changes that fall brings, the colorful changing leaves, the harvest season, pumpkins and pumpkin pie, and all the lovely warm soups and hearty meals I find myself preparing for our family. Good times.

Oatmeal Coconut Pecan Squares with Chocolate Chips

Jenni — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:12:35 +0000

I have a confession to make. Tonight I went to Starbucks to work on some blogging (which is not a good idea considering I was really distracted by all the conversations going on around me, I got to know these two people sitting next to me, way more than I wanted to!) My Confession: I did order a drink, but I brought my own dessert to eat with my coffee, I wrapped it in a napkin and put it in my purse :) I had been wanting to try this recipe from everybody likes sandwiches all week. The only thing that I changed about her recipe was that I doubled it and used a 9×13 inch pan instead of the 8×8. And wow, what a delicious dessert bar! The flavor was amazing and the smell in the kitchen was very inviting, it finished cooking before dinner which made it hard to want to eat dinner first. I’m glad I tried this recipe, thanks!

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Batter Fried Fish

Jenni — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:19:55 +0000

Last Saturday my two-year-old daughter, Guenna, and I went to the store to get some donuts for the family, a Saturday morning treat. She cracks me up! We get into the car and she did not stop talking the entire time we were on our little date! Anyway, after we picked up our donuts (which she wanted to eat before we purchased), we were walking to the check out and I spotted the fish and got a crazy idea, I should make some batter fried fish. I’ve never made it before but my mom was coming over and I thought she could help me. So I bought some fish, and headed home. A little unsure that my plans would turn out, and even more unsure that my kids would like the fish.

We found a recipe for the batter and got it started when we realized that it called for 3/4 cup flat beer. Hmmm, we have some beer but it’s not flat. And we didn’t know how to flatten it quickly, anyone know the trick? So we subbed 3/4 cup milk and added 2 teaspoons of baking powder, the batter was perfect! Yeah! And the kids loved the fish, Guenna thought it was corn of all things! The boys especially loved the batter but they ate the fish as well. So it was a successful experiment. I love it when it when my experiments actually turn out :) So now I have another recipe to add to my, “the family likes this one” list!

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Healthy Egg and Vegetable Breakfast

Jenni — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:04:06 +0000

Contrary to what previous studies have shown, coconut oil is actually very good for you! I often start my day with a tablespoon of coconut oil, no I don’t just eat it by itself! I melt it and put it in a smoothie or put it in my oatmeal sometimes, but my favorite way to get my coconut oil is cooked with eggs and vegetables. There are so many health benefits of coconut oil; weight loss, lowering chances of heart disease, it aides in digestion, contains anti-fungal properties, to name just a few. I found a great article on the benefits of coconut oil on Organic Facts. I created a simple recipe here for a really healthy breakfast. Hope you enjoy it!

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Keeping Cilantro or Fresh Herbs - Fresh!

Jenni — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:09:27 +0000

Today after church we went to Chris’ parents house for lunch and a time of visiting with family. The above picture is what I saw in her window sill. I didn’t really pay attention to what it was until sometime after dinner. Then it hit me, “that’s cilantro and I bet she’s keeping it fresh, not using it as a flowerless flower arrangement!” I’ve never seen this before, and yet it makes perfect sense! My mother-in-law, Joan, explained to me that when she gets cilantro or other cut herbs home from the store, she cuts off the ends, puts them in a glass of water and puts the glass in the fridge! What a no-brainer! So I thought I would share this great tip with you too! I’m always looking for easy ways to preserve food.

So, how about you? Do you have any simple tips that solve seemingly endless problems (in the kitchen that is:) Would love to hear them!